The startup landscape is dominated largely by white men. So when women and minorities try to acquire funding for a new venture, they often face criticism. One Asian-American woman defied the odds to execute an innovative and passionate vision.

After noticing her feet changing shape and growing bunions from traditional footwear, Maeve Wang struggled to find specialty shoes to support her feet. What began as a mission to develop an accurate size-prediction tool for footwear blossomed into technology-driven shoes that conform to consumers’ feet. Yet this journey was met with judgment about Maeve’s identity as a minority entrepreneur, leading her to doubt her capabilities. Through mentorship, encouragement, and a supportive team, Maeve launched substantial ideas with conviction.

On today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston welcomes Maeve Wang, the Co-founder and CEO of IAMBIC, to discuss her mission-driven journey. Maeve shares how she fuses art and science to revolutionize traditional shoe manufacturing, the origin story behind one of IAMBIC’s most notable inventions, and how to build a passionate and collaborative team.